The Mike Douglas Show with guests Pinky Lee, Robert Lansing and Florence Henderson (1965)

2 comments:

Michael Powers
said...

The wackily demented Pinky Lee, obviously, was the template for Pee Wee Herman, only Lee was even better at it than Reubens, which is saying something. The similarities between their careers as children's show hosts remain astonishing; there were even Pinky Lee dolls almost exactly like the later Pee Wee dolls, and Lee's impact on the country during his kiddie series' original run was arguably even greater than Reubens' since he really was at the dawn of television, back when Milton Berle's show was somehow considered wondrous to behold. The first televised image I personally remember was Lee loonily dancing up a storm in his checkered suit. This rare clip is the only time I ever recall seeing him without it.

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